China strongly opposes US congressmen's visit to Taiwan

Taiwanese news agency CNA reported that a delegation of six US congressmen, headed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, arrived on the island on Thursday on an unannounced visit for talks with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and National Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng.

The sides are expected to exchange views on US-Taiwan cooperation, the threat of China, and regional security, according to the report.

"China firmly opposes any form of official interaction between the US and the Taiwan region. Members of the US Congress should act in consistence with the US government's one-China policy," Zhao told a briefing after being asked by a journalist to comment on the delegation's arrival.

Zhao noted that the US "should abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués" and stop any form of "official exchanges with Taiwan and avoid going further down this dangerous path."

Zhao reaffirmed Beijing's commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In March, Chiu said that a war between China and Taiwan would result in a "miserable victory" should there be one, and added that no one wants that war.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, which is a territory with its own democratically-elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country.